Prison violence: Isolate criminal gang members

Just as gardaí face danger unarmed every day, so, too, do prison officers.  

With little more than bare hands and raw courage, they have to deal with violent criminals, and some of the prison officers suffer injury as a result.

The situation is particularly acute when it comes to inmates who are members of criminal gangs, some of whom appear to be able to direct their nefarious operations from inside their prison cells.

According to the Prison Officers’ Association, criminal gangs not only pose an ongoing threat to prison officers, but also make the lives of other inmates a misery, through threats and violent assaults.

But it is their capacity to control matters outside the prison that is of most concern. The POA, which is currently holding its annual conference, argues that the Prison Service could do more to prevent this, mainly by isolating gang members, and, if necessary, placing them in different institutions.

This seems an eminently achievable and sensible suggestion, which the service should take on board, but, in doing so, it is essential that gang members be isolated not just from other inmates, but from each other. This would remove their power to mirror the activities of fellow gangsters on the outside. So, too, would searching all visitors, and ensuring they go through airport-style scanning to prevent drugs and mobile phones from being smuggled into prisons.